This invention relates to polyacrylate elastomers with improved elasticity, tear strength and abrasion resistance. More particularly, it relates to a method for improving the elasticity, tear strength and abrasion resistance of polyacrylate elastomers by incorporating therein certain unsaturated esters and amides, defined hereinbelow.
Polyacrylate elastomers have been used extensively as special purpose elastomers where good low temperature properties and oil resistance are important, for example, in automobile gaskets, oil seals, and the like. These elastomers would be more broadly acceptable if it were not for their relatively high elastic modulus and low elongation at break.
Methods which are conventionally used to lower the elastic modulus of elastomers, such as reduction in the concentration of curative, changing the type and level of filler, addition of plasticizers, or a reduction of the concentration of cross-linking sites along the polymer backbone, are not effective. Such attempts have led instead to significant reductions in tensile strength, tear strength and abrasion resistance.
As a consequence, there remains a need for a method for reducing the elastic modulus of polyacrylate elastomers, without affecting unduly the other desirable properties, such as tensile strength, tear strength, compression set and abrasion resistance.